Find out the best dunkers in the NBA, from those who are currently active to the best in the history of the league.
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Best dunkers in the NBA
A few players are considered among the best dunkers currently playing in the NBA.
Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls is a two-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest winner, having triumphed in both 2015 and 2016.
The shooting guard is known for his incredible leaping ability and is one of just four players to win consecutive dunk contests.
Mac McClung of the Philadelphia 76ers is the reigning dunk contest champion. The 6ft 2in shooting guard triumphed in the 2023 NBA Slam Dunk Contest after four incredible slams, earning 50s with 19 of his 20 scores from the judging panel.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokountmpo is one of the league’s most dominant dunkers, using his 7ft frame and 7ft 3in wingspan to drive down the lane and finish over defenders.
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies is also a ferocious in-game dunker, despite being just 6ft 2in, thanks to his electric speed and jumping ability.
Aaron Gordon is perhaps the greatest dunker to have never won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He narrowly finished second in both 2016 and 2020.
Zion Williams of the New Orleans Pelicans is also considered one of the best dunkers in the game. The second-year forward is yet to compete in the dunk contest but made his name in high school and at Duke University with his incredible athleticism and powerful slams.
In 2017, The Charlotte Observer claimed that Williamson could be the greatest high-school dunker in history.
Best dunkers in NBA history
When discussing the NBA’s best dunkers ever, Vince Carter is always near the top of the list.
The recently retired shooting guard – nicknamed “Vinsanity”, “Air Canada” and “Half Man, Half Amazing” thanks to his incredible dunks – won the 2000 dunk contest with one of the most memorable performances in the competition’s history.
Carter is also one of the best in-game dunkers ever and once dunked over 7ft 2in Frenchman Frederic Weis at the 2000 Olympics.
Michael Jordan is also one of the best dunkers to ever play the game. Jordan won back-to-back dunk contests in 1987 and 1988, and his trademark free throw line dunk became the logo for his Air Jordan brand.
Dominique Wilkins won the dunk contest in both 1985 and 1990, and had two epic duels with Jordan in the competition.
Wilkins was also a great in-game dunker, known for his windmill slams.
Julius ‘Dr. J’ Erving is known as one of the most innovative dunkers ever, and he was the first to take off from the free throw line at the ABA’s 1976 dunk contest, which he won.
Before Dr. J, dunking was mainly done by big men and was considered by some to be showboating and even unsportsmanlike. Erving popularised the acrobatic dunks that are now common among wings and guards.
Some of the other players who have to be considered among the best dunkers ever include LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Shawn Kemp, Jason Richardson, Kobe Bryant and Nate Robinson.
Best NBA Slam Dunk Contest
The 2000 NBA Slam Dunk Contest is widely considered to be the greatest of all time., largely due to the performance of Vince Carter. The Toronto Raptors shooting guard produced a show-stopping performance, with dunks that had never been seen before.
The contest featured a stacke field, which also included Carter’s cousin and teammate at the time, Tracy McGrady. Two other NBA All-Stars also took part in Steve Francis – who would finish second in the contest – and Jerry Stackhouse.
Carter’s first dunk, a reverse-360 windmill, was instantly iconic, and prompted commentator Kenny Smith to coin his “let’s go home, ladies and gentleman!” catchphrase.
Carter followed that up with another ridiculous windmill from under the hoop, and then an off-the-backboard, between-the-legs jam that took the roof off the building, after which he famously turned to the camera and declared: “It’s over.”
Vinsanity then sealed the deal by demonstrating his incredible hops by putting his elbow in the rim in his fourth dunk, a feat so incredible that it left the entire arena in stunned silence.
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